The Origin
Hangman's eyes are like flecks of granite chipped from a gravestone. Tall, rarely without his
signature black leather trench coat and Stetson, Hangman was once a drug dealer who went by his
given name of Tom Hulls. One night after sampling a little too much of his own wares, Tom died.
Or he should have. But the Crash changed the proper flow of events. Tom got a second chance,
along with the metahuman ability to see the circumstances of other people's pending deaths, as
well as his own. As it happens, his death cognition often features him as the cause of his enemies' demise. No
surprise there; Hangman's mere touch is a death sentence. His touch exchanges the living version
of his target with a divergent timeline variant that's already dead. Hangman continues to deal drugs, but more successfully than before, having effectively taken over the drug cartel that previously employed him.
Motive: Wealth and influence
Environment: Anywhere criminal deals are done
Health: 24
Damage Inflicted: Moderate wound (7 points)
Movement: Short
Modifications: Death cognition as level 12; death touch
attacks as level 7
Combat: Hangman can sense when and how someone will die, whether that's years into the future, or in a couple of seconds. But no one's death is immutably fated, at least not in the post-Crash universe. Which means Hangman can use his foreknowledge to act in such a way as to either save someone's life (if he's trying to make a deal with them), or more often, kill someone who's crossed him. His dimensional death touch attack inflicts damage on a failed Speed defense roll and causes the creature struck to descend one step on the damage track if they fail a Might defense roll.
On the flip side, it's almost impossible to permanently defeat Hangman. He may take a few hits and suffer damage from attacks, but Hangman knows when his time is up. Moreover, his death cognition extends far enough into the future that he manipulates events so that even if it seems like the possibility of his death is close, something intervenes to save him. If a particular series of events wouldn't leave him an out, he just doesn't show up at the event that would initiate that outcome.
Interaction: Hangman can be warm and cordial to his business partners and friends. He may even offer someone a tip on avoiding a certain plane trip, elevator ride, or visit to a particular street vendor's food stall next year. But usually this is only in return for a favor.
Use: A PC receives an anonymous tip, telling them to avoid visiting a particular location they would have otherwise gone to (maybe a grocery store, an office building, a bank, etc.). In a freak accident, that location is destroyed by a tornado, an earthquake, a gas leak explosion, or something else. A follow-up message (assuming the PC listened to the advice) indicates that the PC now owes the anonymous tipster a favor.
GM Intrusion: The attack that would have otherwise killed Hangman is foiled when he steps back, is pulled to safety by a confederate, or just simply fails to die despite looking as if he's dead.